Rail-joint.



' J. W. STEPHENS.

V RAIL 101111.

I APPLICATION FILED 001.22, 1909.

Patented Jan. 10,1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

JAMES W. STEPHENS, 0F SHREIVSBURY, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES IV. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Shrewsbury, in the county of Kanawha and State of Vest Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints, and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide strong, durable and efiicient means for securing the meeting ends of railway rails together without the use of fish plates and the ordinary bolts which extend through the fish plates and through the webs of the rails.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail joint comprising a rail chair and a wedge-like key for clamping the rails together to prevent spreading, sinking or creeping of the rails at the joint.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a detail perspective view and section of one of the rails, showing the rail chair and key secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, showing the rail joint in plan, the section being taken immediately under the head of the rail.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates an ordinary railway rail; 2 is the web portion of the rail, and 3 is the base flange thereof. The rail chair member is provided with a base portion A which extends entirely under the base flange 3 of the rail and is provided with an integral inclined wall 5 and a fish plate member 6, the upper edge 7 of which bears against the underside of the head 1 of the rail and against the side of the web 2, said fish plate section being preferably curved, as at 8, and provided with a bearing ortion 9 which bears against the bottom 0 the web 2 and at its junction with the base flange 3 of the rail. The base member 4: of the chair extends laterally beyond one side of the rail and is provided with an undercut shoulder 10 extending the full length of the base. The shoulder 10 is beveled longitudinally, that is to say, one end 11 is narrower than the opposite end 12. A wedge-like key plate 13 is provided for locking the rails between the two members of the joint, said key having a fish plate member 14 similar to that formed upon the chair member and also being provided with a shoulder Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 2, 1909.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 520,632.

15 to bear against the side edge of the base flange 13 of the rail. The outer edge 16 of the key member 13 is beveled to conform to the bevel of the shoulder 10. Slots 17 are formed in the key 13, said slots extending longitudinally thereof at its opposite ends. Bolts 18 extend through the base member A of the chair and through the slots 17 in the key 13 and are provided with nuts 19 for securing the key firmly in place. The lower edge 20 of the key is beveled to fit the undercut shoulder 10, and said key is somewhat longer than the chair member, as shown in Fig. 2.

In securing the meeting ends of two railway rails the chair member is first inserted under the rails at the joint, and the key 13 is then driven longitudinally into the keyway to firmly clamp the rails, after which the nuts 19 are turned upon the bolts 18 to securely hold the key from movement.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a rail joint made in accordance with my invention will firmly hold the meeting ends of the rails together without the use of the ordinary bolts passing through the fish plates and webs of the rails. Moreover, the rails can be laid with very little labor, while the cost is comparatively slight.

I claim A rail joint comprising a chair member having a fish plate portion, and an extending base flange, said base fiange being of a greater width than the width of the base flange of the rail, the edge of the flange opposite the fish plate being provided with a longitudinally extending beveled shoulder extending the entire length of the chair and being arranged in angular relation to the edge thereof, both the edges of the base member being provided with spike receiving grooves, threa ded members carried by the base adjacent its inclined beveled wall, a key provided for the chair member comprising an angular fish plate, the horizontal member of the fish plate being provided with longitudinally extending openings adapted for the reception of the threaded members upon the base of the chair, and securing members for the members of the chair.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES IV. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

L. T. LONDERN, II. J. LANE. 

